When A Friend Is Ill

I just got news today that one of my oldest and dearest friends has a condition or disease that is potentially deadly if not treated successfully. I don’t know what it is exactly because I couldn’t find it in any Internet search. She said it’s called (and I don’t even know the spelling) “lasko meiosis.” If anyone out there knows anything about it, would you please let me know?

I said that I was going to be a better friend this year and now I have a real test of my friendship. Not that it’s more than that to my friend. She says she’s scared. Of course she is. I didn’t know what to say other than to let me know what the doctor says tomorrow. I don’t know if I should go visit her (she lives two hours away and my husband and I only have one car, so it would take some maneuvering to make the trip possible). I do know that I can email and call her and that I don’t normally do that often enough.

I did tell her that I would pray for her. She doesn’t believe in God, or at best she’s an agnostic, so I don’t know how much that meant to her. Except that she should know that I really care for me to say that. She’s been disappointed by Christians before, though, and I don’t think she has a high opinion of us. I admit I feel helpless. As much as I believe in God, I’m not unaware of the fact that prayers are not always answered the way that we want them to be. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t pray, but I could see where that might not be very reassuring to another person when you say you’re going to pray for them.

I do know that I need to be ready to be there for her as much as I can. I will go down and visit her as often as I can if I feel that she needs for me to. And I suspect that she will need me–at least I think that I mean that much to her. She did call me, after all. Other than that, I don’t know what else I can do, but pray. And try to find out more about her condition.

There are things outside of me that describe me–I’m a wife, mother and grandmother, for instance. I have two cats and I love to read, write, garden and learn languages. And there are things inside me that describe me–I’m an introvert with strong leanings toward the spiritual and intellectual, I’m ... Continue reading →